One For Cal
by Kate Manoso
Summary: Stephanie is over Joe and Ranger. Could Cal be just what she needs? Chapter Thirteen is up! Story complete. I may be able to start a second story off of the end.
1. Chapter 1

This is my first try at this. Feed back would be great. This idea came to me while I was at work today.

None of the characters are mine. Just the story.

* * *

"I look ridiculous," I said to the man in front of me. "I don't mind being bait. But come on. This is really ridiculous."

"We need you to do this tonight."

"I look like a five dollar hooker!" I shouted at him as I twirled around so that he could get a full view. I was wearing knee high leather boots with a four inch heal, black hose, a leather mini skirt, and a red sequined halter top that scooped down in the front to just below my breast.

"I think that you look hot! And so will our FTA," he said to me with a wide smile.

"Really?" I asked as I walked over to Cal. "I'll bet that Tank would look better in this out fit."

"No way, Steph. You were meant for that outfit. Ella said that it screamed your name when she saw it."

"Ella needs a hearing aid," I said with a laugh as I grabbed my purse.

"Let's go get you wired, my dear," Cal said as he offered me his arm.

We walked out of my apartment on the fourth floor of the RangeMan building that I had been living in for the last four months. We hoped into the elevator and went one floor up. Cal twirled me into the control room where all of the guys had congregated to discuss their plan for the capture.

"This may not be a good idea," Tank said when he saw me. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.

"Nervous?" I asked.

"Definitely."

"You aren't nearly as nervous as I am. Look at this skirt! If I bend over, I'll be arrested for breaking at least four different laws!"

"You look amazing, Steph."

"Just give me the wire so that we can get this over with," I said as I put my hand out.

Tank handed me the wire and a few sticky pads. I turned to head towards the bathroom so that I could put on the wire and check my reflection.

"Need a hand?" Binkie shouted from behind Tank.

Binkie has startled me and I had dropped the wire. _Pay back_, Evil Stephanie whispered from the back of my head. I threw a wicked grin over my shoulder at Cal and slowly bent over at my waist to retrieve the wire from the floor. I slowly ran a hand up the back of my leg as I stood back up. You could have heard a pin drop as I left the room.

* * *

"That was really bad," Hal whispered to me as we drove to the club in one of the Broncos.

"I'm sorry."

"No. You aren't," he said as he shook his head.

"You're right. I'm not. It's the clothes."

"Huh?"

"The clothes bring out my feisty side. It's like playing a roll."

"Oh."

"You still don't get it, do you?" I asked as I climbed out of the Bronco infront of the club.

"You lost me some where along the line," Hal said as he put a small listening devise in my ear. "Junior is on the other end."

"Hey, Junior," I said.

"Hot Damn! Steph, you look incredible," Junior said in my ear.

I looked around the lot and spotted Junior sitting in a Ford F-150. I waved and he waved back. I did a little spin so that he could see the whole get up and said, "This could all be yours, Cowboy."

"Jesus," Junior whispered after I picked up my purse off the ground in the same fashion I had picked up the wire.

"Steph."

"Yes, Hal," I said as I turned back to him.

"Quit distracting the guy and go get our FTA."

"Fine," I said and spun around and went into the club.

Twenty minutes later, I was standing outside the club watching Tank and Hal cart off their FTA. I looked longingly back at the club. I really wanted to go dancing. I never get to go out that much anymore. Sure, I go out with the Merry Men all the time, but they never go dancing. I just wanted one night out.

"You want to go dancing, don't you?" Cal said from behind me.

"Of course I do. That's why I hate doing this. I never get to go dancing in the clubs that we go to. I always have a job to do. Ranger gets pissed if I try to dance."

"I'll take you out, Steph," Cal said as he ushered me back to the Bronco.

"Really?"

"Sure. We just have to stop back at the office so that I can change. I'll take you out to my favorite club," Cal said as he helped me into the Bronco.

"You like to dance?" I asked when Cal climbed behind the wheel.

"Yep. I haven't been out in a couple of months. I use to go out all the time with my last girlfriend," Cal said as he steered us back to RangeMan.

* * *

"If you laugh, I'm not taking you out," Cal said from inside the bathroom.

"Just get out here. You're waisting valuable dance time," I shout to him.

The door slowly opened and Cal stepped out. _Whoa!_ He was wearing black leather pants that had a hint of blue when the light reflected off of them. They hugged every delicious curve. He had incredible legs that he had been hiding under his RangeMan cargos all this time. He was also wearing a blue shirt that he left unbuttoned to reveal a white tank top that clung to his body like a second layer of skin. _Yum!_

"Steph?"

"Let's hit the road," I said as I grabbed my purse off the kitchen counter.

"In a hurry?" Cal asked as we stepped onto the elevator.

"I'm single, I'm feisty, and you are looking way to good right now," I said as I started fanning myself with my hand. "Is it warm in here?"

"No, Steph," Cal said as he took my hand in his.


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all of the great reviews. I really appreciate every one taking the time to read what I wrote last night. If you haven't heard of the songs that I mention in this chapter, you may want to stop by Youtube and check them out.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The characters are all Janet's. The story is mine.

* * *

The club was located on the south side of Trenton in an industrial park. The building looked more like a warehouse then anything else. I could here the base from the music when Cal helped me out of the Bronco. I threw some cash in the back pocket of my leather skirt and left my purse under the front seat. The bouncer did a manly hand thing with Cal and let us in.

It was a Techno-Industrial club. Black walls and floors. The ceiling was left open so that the rafters and ventilation system were left exposed. The bar stretched across the far wall forcing me and Cal to dance our way across the dance floor to get a drink. The bartender did another manly hand thing with Cal.

"Come here often?" I shouted to Cal after the bartender handed us a Corona each. I had to shout over the music. The DJ had just put on _Breathe _by Ministry.

"There's no better club in Trenton," Cal said with a grin. "Don't move. I'll be right back."

I watched as Cal made his way through the crowd over to the DJ. There was another complicated man hand thing between the two. How do men remember these things? I can barely get through a normal hand shake. Throw in arm and fist bumps and I'm lost.

I turned my attention to the crowd on the dance floor. Then I saw him. He was jumping around like a jackhammer. Mooner. He saw me at the bar and gave me a huge smile along with the Vulcan 'Live long and Prosper' hand sign. That man never fails to get me to laugh. Dougie was a couple of feet away dancing like Iggy Pop. He gave me the same sign as Mooner and then went back to dancing. I love my little stoners!

"The DJ's gonna throw on my favorite song," Cal said when he came back over. "It'll be on after this song. Come on!"

Cal danced me out onto the dance floor. The song was starting to slow down and the lights went off one by one. There was one red strobe light going as everyone slowed down as the song ended. All lights went out and a slow melody came over the speakers. Cal and I slowly started to move as the woman's voice joined the song and the beat that followed. The lights slowly came back on as we got into the full swing dancing to Orbital's _Halcyon And On And On_. Cal had some really good moves. He was fluid. It was almost hypnotizing watching him move around me. The lights started to lower one more time and everyone started to slow back down.

"This is the best part," Cal said with a wolfish grin as he pulled me close and slipped a leg between mine. We started to grind as the light went out and the music slowed. Cal said, "Here it comes."

Jon Bon Jovi's voice blared out of the silence. Every one picked up their dancing as Belinda Carlyle's voice joined his. It was a free for all. Every one was singing, but I didn't hear any of it. I could only see Cal's eyes as he looked down at me. He ran a hand up my back and pulled me even closer. It felt so damn good to be plastered against him as we moved to the music.

The lights went out and another song came on. I don't know how long we stayed on the dance floor. I didn't really care. It was like being in a dream. Lights flashing all around us. I felt like the music was pumping through my body as I danced. Cal finally forced me off the dance floor to get another beer.

"You are unbelievably sexy when you dance," Cal said as he pinned me against the bar. He wrapped his arms around me. We were both soaked in sweat. He smelled in credible. I could feel my hormones kick into overdrive.

"You aren't to bad yourself," I said as I slipped my arms around Cal and let my hands wonder down his back to his perfectly sculpted butt. I let a soft moan escape my lips as my finger played across their new wonderland. I bit into my bottom lip and looked up at him.

Cal had a different look on his face. I hadn't see it before and it confused me. He looked relaxed, but there was something in his eyes that I had never seen. A small smile played across his lips. My heart stopped beating and my breath caught in my throat. Cal?

That's when the war started in my head.

_It's Cal!_ Smart Stephanie shouted. _He's one of Ranger's Merry Men. You can't seriously be considering this? Have you lost your mind?_

_But, it's Cal!_ Stupid Stephanie shouted back. _He's one of the Merry Men. He'll protect us. He's nice to us and he laughs at our jokes._

_What will Ranger think?_ Smart Stephanie asked.

_Who cares?_ Stupid Stephanie said. _We aren't with Ranger anymore. Do you remember the stress that relationship caused us? Besides… Feel Cal's ass. Yummy!_

When war erupts in my head it shows on my face. Cal laughed and shook his head. He gave me a hug and pulled me back out on the dance floor. We danced for another hour and then decided that we should head back. The ride back was quiet. At least in the Bronco. There was still a war raging on in my head.

"So," Cal said as we pulled into the garage at RangeMan. "Has the war been won yet?"

"Nope. But I think that Stupid Stephanie has more good points then Smart Stephanie," I said as Cal helped me out of the Bronco.

"Who should I be rooting for?"

"Stupid Stephanie if I read the look that you had on your face while we were dancing right."

"Come on Stupid Stephanie!" Cal shouted with a smile as we stepped into the elevator.

Cal pulled me close as the doors closed . We road in silence up to the fourth floor. It felt good to be in a man's arms again. It had been four months. That's way to long, right? Cal pulled me out of the elevator and walked me to my door.

"This is a little weird, huh?" Cal asked as I searched my purse for my key.

"Yeah. But, kind of in a good way."

"Yeah. We should do this again."

"Sure," I said as I unlocked my door. "I had a really good time with you tonight, Cal."

"I had a great time, too. Maybe we could do dinner before we went dancing?"

"Like a date?" I asked.

"Yeah. Like a real date," Cal said as a nervous look swept across his face.

"I'd like that," I said with a reassuring smile. "How about Saturday night?"

"That would be perfect, Steph," Cal said with a relieved smile.

I gave him a light kiss on the cheek and said good night. I leaned against the door to close it as a warm fuzzy feeling moved through me. That's a good sign, right?

Cal? Huh. Yeah. Cal.


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for all of the encouragement.

Here we go again.

Disclaimer: None of the characters are mine. I'm not making any money. Bummer! The story is mine.

* * *

My alarm brought me awake at the usual ungodly hour of five a.m. I could smell the coffee that had started to brew in my automatic coffee maker that sat on my small kitchen counter. What the hell. I'm up now. Three hours is not enough sleep. I'm gonna be a bitch today. I rolled out of bed and walked over to my dresser. I pulled out a black sports bra, a black tank top, and a pair of black shorts. ALL of them had RangeMan embroidered on them. Ella. The woman is obsessed.

I walked into my bathroom and got dressed as I brushed my teeth. I poured some coffee in a travel mug and went to the elevator. I need coffee if I'm gonna workout. Yep! Workout! The second week that I had taken up residence here, Tank was elected my workout coach. Every morning he'd haul me out of bed, kicking and screaming, and take me to the gym on the fifth floor. There were a few times that he threw me over his shoulder and carried me up there like a caveman. After that, I got up on my own. Me feet hurt like hell, but I at least could do the arms and abs thing, right?

I found Tank and Binkie in the gym. Tank was lifting some very heavy weights while Binkie spotted for him. Ravel's _Bolero_ was playing on the CD player that sat in the corner of the room. That's Tank. He says that exercising should be a calming experience. That it was a good way to release stress. Whatever!

"Long night, Steph?" Binkie asked as I got situated on an arm workout machine.

"Yeah. But I had a really good time so it was worth it," I said as I set out to do my workout.

I did the arm thing. Then, I did the abs thing. Then, I did the leg press thing. Then, I set myself up on a stationary bike. I zoned out while I was riding to lord only knows where. Well, actually, no where, but sometimes I like to pretend that I'm actually going somewhere. Like a ride through the country hills in Tuscany. Corny. I know. But it gets me through the boredom. This morning, I was thinking about last night. I couldn't get Cal out of my head.

"Steph!" Tank shouted.

I looked up and saw that he was standing right in front of me. "What?"

"You've been on that bike for a half an hour."

"Sorry, I zoned out."

"Tuscany?"

"Not today."

"Really?" Tank said with a questioning look. Tank's 'questioning' look looks a lot like his 'I'm gonna kill you' look. There's only a slight difference. If you really know Tank, then you can see that his right eyebrow will go up a fraction of a centimeter.

"Yeah," I said as I slid off the bike. "I went off to La La Land."

"Would Cal be the king of this land?"

"Damn it!" I said as I ran my hands over my face. "You guys are worse then the Burg."

"Steph," Tank said with a laugh as he put a hand on my shoulder, "there's a camera in the elevator and the hallway on the fourth floor."

"Great. Everyone knows now."

"You wouldn't have been able to keep it a secret."

"I know that. I'm just not sure where it's going."

"Cal's a good man."

"I know that. I'm not stupid, Tank. I need a shower," I said as I made my way to the elevator.

* * *

I'm dumbfounded. I'm standing in front of my desk and I'm speechless. There's a vase with two dozen roses sitting on my desk. MY DESK! I looked around the office and caught Binkie's eye and waved him over.

"Nice flowers, Bomber," Binkie said when he stood next to me.

"Did you see who dropped them off?"

"Cal."

"I just wanted to make sure that there wasn't anything wrong with them before I approached my desk."

"Steph," Binkie said with a wide smile.

"I have bad luck with flowers," I said as I started waving my arms. "I always get flowers from psychos! Are you sure that it was Cal?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. He had a really big grin on his face as he put them down on your desk."

"Thanks, Binkie. I just wanted to make sure," I said as I walked over to the flowers.

"Anytime, Bomber," Binkie said as he walked away laughing.

I stuck my face in the flowers and took a deep breath. A smile crept across my face. This was really thoughtful. I fished the card out and sat down at my desk. _Thanks for last night. Call me. Cal._ I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Cal's cell phone number.

"Good morning," Cal said on the other end.

"The flowers are beautiful. It was really sweet of you to get them for me. Where are you?" I asked.

"I'm watching a house with Hal."

"Sounds exciting."

"Loads for fun. I'm glad that you like the flowers."

"I love them. I checked with Binkie before I approached my desk though," I said with a laugh.

Cal Laughed.

"It's not funny," I said laughing harder. "I'm cursed when it comes to flowers."

"I know. I'm sorry. It's not really funny," Cal said after he got himself under control. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"It's a fantastic idea. I can't remember the last time that I got flowers from someone that wasn't a lunatic."

"I've gotta go. I think we have movement."

"Later."

"Later," Cal said and then hung up.

* * *

_Ring._

My cell phone pulled me out of my search trance. I looked at my watch. Eleven-thirty.

_Ring._

I looked at the caller I.D. Ranger. Great.

"Yo," I said when I answered my phone.

"Flowers?"

"Cal."

"Cal?" Ranger asked.

"Cal. We went out dancing last night."

"Dancing?"

"Yeah. We're going out again on Saturday night."

"Saturday? Tomorrow?"

"What's with the one word questions? Are you okay?" I asked leaning back in my chair.

"Yeah. Cal? Really?"

"Yeah."

Ranger hung up on me. _Argh!_ I hate that shit!

"Cut that out!" I shouted when Ranger answered his phone when I called him back. "I don't hang up on you."

"Babe."

I hung up. There! See how he likes it!

"Bomber!" Junior called from the other side of the office. "Lunch. Pino's. Fifteen."

"Ten-four," I shouted back.

I shut down the programs that I was using and ran down stairs to my apartment. I grabbed twenty bucks out of my purse and then took the stairs down to the garage. Binkie, Junior, and Lester were waiting for me in one of the Broncos. I jumped in and we hit the road.


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for all of the great reviews. I had to sleep to get chapter four. I'm addicted to writing. That's why I'm able to get these up so quickly. That, and I had yesterday and today off.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. The story is mine. The characters are Janet's.

* * *

Lunch at Pino's is always interesting. I've finally seen a pattern. The guys take me here for one of two reasons. When something bad happens or dirt digging. I was leaning towards something bad when we all sat down at a table in the back. The guys looked a little nervous.

It was an unsettling sight being with three 'larger then life' nervous guys. Six feet six inches, broad shoulders, trim waists, and great asses describe all three of the men that were sitting at the table with me. That's were the similarities end.

Lester has a kicked back attitude that goes well with his disheveled blonde hair. He always looks like he needs a trim, even after he gets it cut. He reminds me of a white boy California surfer dude. Always tanned to a perfect bronze. His green eyes give everything away, though. I can always gage his mood and feelings by his eyes. He was trying hard to mask his emotions. I could see that there was trouble.

Junior, on the other hand, looked like he just walked off the street. His dark brown eyes and his black hair are credited to his Hispanic back ground. He has a lot of tattoos. One on the back of his neck that said _Junior_. One on his right arm of a snake and one on his left arm that said _Live Hard Die Hard_. That's all the ones that I've seen, but I'm told that there are more. He has a scar on his right cheek that I was told was from a knife fight when he was fifteen. His eyes were always on the look out for the bad guy. Even now.

Binkie is like the boy next door. Perfectly trimmed soft, brown hair and a set of crystal clear blue eyes. He even has a cute set of dimples that appear whenever he smiles. He has perfect white teeth to go along with his 'Wally Beaver' attitude. Everything has a positive spin in Binkie's world. Even after he was shot point blank in the chest three months ago when he was trying to help me go after a high bond skip. I spent two weeks in the hospital sitting next to his bed. I had felt bad because that bullet was meant for me. Binkie had stepped in front of a bullet for me and that had spoken volumes.

"What's going on guys?" I asked when our waitress walked away after taking our orders.

"Nothing, Steph," Binkie said with a forced smile. "Everything is great. How has your day been going?"

"Binkie," I said as I hung my head and shook it. I looked back up at him and looked him straight in the eye. "You've been gnawing on your lower lip for the last thirty minutes. Lester has been hitting a pen on anything in arms reach. And Junior has been popping Tums. What's going on?"

"Okay," Lester said slowly. "I'm just going to lay this all on the line."

"Just blurt it all out at once, Lester," I said and gave him an encouraging smile.

"Hal and Cal are at St. Frances hospital. There was a shoot out in front of the house that they were watching."

I felt all of my blood drain out of my face. "What?"

"Tank had assigned them to pick up a high end FTA for Vinnie. Vinnie knew that these guys were dangerous and didn't want to sent Lula after them. So, Vinnie called Ranger, who then called Tank, who then gave it to Hal and Cal."

"And you guys brought me here?" I shouted. All the guys knew that I was one of the first people at the hospital when one of the guys was hurt. I had turned into a surrogate mother to the Merry Men. And they took me to Pino's while two men were in the hospital. I could feel my temper going through the roof.

"Steph," Junior said reaching across the table and taking my hand. "You have to breathe, Sweetie."

I started to see black dots floating in front of my eyes. _Breathe?_ Stupid Stephanie shouted. _Cal is in the hospital and Junior wants us to breathe?_ I tuned out Stupid Stephanie and looked Junior in the eye. My vision was starting to get blurry and the number of black dots had doubled. Oh, God! Cal's in the hospital!


	5. Chapter 5

Here we go again!

Disclaimer: I only own the story. The characters are Janet's. Lucky Bitch!

* * *

_Scene change._

_Same day (Friday) 12:30 P.M._

_St. Frances Hospital_

"They won't let my in!" I shouted into my cell phone.

"Babe."

"Don't 'Babe' me, Ranger," I hissed into the phone.

"I need a status update on Hal."

"He'll be fine. They let me back to see him before they took him in for surgery. One through and through in the left shoulder and one through and through in his right calf. He's gonna need physical therapy. But, the doctors seem to think that he'll fully recover given time."

"Good."

"They won't let me in to see Cal."

"Did you really faint in Pino's?" Ranger asked. I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Don't."

"I'll be there in fifteen." Ranger said and disconnected.

I stared at my phone as I slowly lowered myself into a chair in the waiting area just outside of the emergency room. Ranger's back? I thought he still had another week in Miami. He wasn't coming back for Hal and Cal. That had only just happened. Things must not have gone well in Miami. Tank had told me the other day the Ranger was spending two weeks in Miami visiting his daughter. This last year Ranger had made plenty of trips down to see Julie, but never this long.

As I sat there waiting for Ranger, I thought about the last year of my life. Lots of ups and downs. Julie and I getting kidnapped by Scrogg. Ranger being shot in my apartment. The whole Dickie fiasco. Getting engaged to Joe. Realization of a huge mistake and then breaking up with Joe. Moving into RangeMan. Being with Ranger for a whole of two weeks, then realizing that that wasn't going to work either. Ranger and Joe had been the two men in my life for the last few years. It hurt that I couldn't make either of those relationships work. Joe couldn't live with my job and I couldn't live with Ranger's job. Go fig!

"Babe."

I looked up and saw Ranger. The man is breath taking. I still catch myself staring at him like he's a piece of chocolate cake. Some habits I just can't seem to break. As usual he was decked out in his normal black attire. Black boots, black cargo pants, and black painted on t-shirt. Minus the weapons. Hospitals tend to frown on armed men walking the halls. His eyes looked a little tired and his hair was a lot shorter then the last time I saw him. Julie's doing. I'm sure.

"A nurse just told me that Hal's surgery is going well. I still haven't been able to get back to Cal," I said as I ran my hands up over my face and into my hair. "I need to get back there."

"Hold on."

I watched as Ranger walked over to the nurse that was sitting at the admitting desk. He spoke with her for a few moments. A large smile spread across the nurses face and then she nodded her head affirmatively. Ranger looked over his shoulder at me and gave me a devilish grin that turned his eyes dark. My heart rate kicked into overdrive and I suddenly felt very hot. He did that on purpose. I know it. He looked back at the nurse and spoke to her for a few more minutes. She turned to the computer next to her and did some fast typing. She turned her monitor so that Ranger could read the screen. He took her hand and kissed the palm. He said something that made the nurse blush and giggle. Yes. Giggle.

"They just took Cal into surgery," Ranger said when he sat down next to me. "He took two to the chest and two in his right leg. The two in his leg aren't the main concern."

"Duh," I said quietly. "This is bad."

"Yeah. They listed him as critical before they took him in."

"How long do they think that it'll take?"

"The nurse guessed three hours."

"That's a long time."

"Yeah. You want some coffee?"

"Coffee and a chocolate cake."

"I know that I can do coffee. I'll have to see about the cake, Babe."

I watched Ranger walk out of the waiting area and go down a hall towards the cafeteria. He was going to wait with me. I got a warm and fuzzy feeling. Ranger and I had come to an understanding. We love each other, but we can't be together. We still have sex. I mean, come on, I'm not stupid. The man is amazing in bed. He can go for hours and never drop an ounce of intensity. That's probably why I still look at him like he's cake. Chocolate cake. With chocolate sprinkles. And chocolate ice cream on the side. Oh, and that new chocolate ready whip on top.

God. I need a cold shower.

* * *

Hospitals tend to give me insight. It's something with the white walls. If you stare at them long enough, and you let your eyes unfocus, things suddenly become clear. I've spent a lot of time sitting with the Merry Men in the hospital over the last couple of years. After all, I'm usually the one that puts them there. I was staring at a white wall, sitting in a chair next to Binkie on a gurney when I had accidentally shot him in the foot four months ago, when I realized that I needed to break up with Joe for good. I was staring at another white wall, sitting in a chair next to Tank in a gurney when he had been shot during an FTA apprehension, when I realized that I needed to end things with Ranger.

I'm staring at yet another white wall and I just realized that I'm scared to death. Cal is in the operating room and I can't help him. I can't be there. I might never look into his beautiful brown eyes again. Shit! A tear just rolled down my cheek. Cal. Fuck! Another tear rolled down my cheek.

"Babe."

I looked up at Ranger. My vision was really blurry, but I saw the coffee that he had in his hand. I took the coffee and downed it in one swallow. Ranger handed me another cup of coffee. I repeated the process.

"I think that we need to get you out of here, Babe."

"I don't want to leave," I said. It came out more like a whisper.

"I'm gonna leave Tank here. He'll call if there's any news."

It was the first time that I had realized that Tank was even there. He had been standing over by the door that led to the parking lot. He looked heart broken. Tank never let his emotions show, but it broke him when I looked over at him. He slowly walked over and pulled me out of my chair and into his arms. That's when I completely lost it. The tears started to flow. Tank just tightened his arms around me.

"It's okay, Steph," Tank whispered. "Just let it all out."

"What if... he doesn't... make it?" I asked between sobs.

"Don't think about that right now."

I felt a drop on my temple. I looked up at Tank and saw that a couple of tears had fallen. It was then that I had a second realization. I have two families. One was my parents, Grandma Mazur, and Valerie and her clan, in the Burg. My second family was RangeMan. I was looking into the face of a man who was worried about his two fallen brothers. One, we might never see again.

"It'll be okay, Big Guy," I said to Tank, trying to rally myself. "Cal's one of the toughest guys we know. He'll pull through."

"I hope so," Tank said quietly as he tried to give me a smile.

"Stay here for a bit," I said as I wiped my face and moved out of his arms. "I need to head back to RangeMan."

"I'll call if I here anything."

"I know."

I looked over at Ranger. He was standing there stone still trying to understand what he had just witnessed. He had just seen his number two in command shed tears. I could see the confusion in his eyes. That was the only thing that gave him away. I took Ranger's hand in mine and pulled him out the door. I located the black Ford F-150 in the parking lot and steered Ranger towards it.

"You're destroying my men," Ranger said once we were in the truck.

"Not at all," I said with a huge smile. "They just aren't as hard as you thought."


	6. Chapter 6

Thanks for all of the great responses. This has been a lot of fun for me, but I still have no clue where to take this. I need help!! Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Disclaimer: Only the story is mine. The characters belong to Janet.

* * *

I walked out of my bathroom of my apartment on the fourth floor of the RangeMan building. I had taken a shower to try to relax a little bit. All of that relaxation was stripped from me when I had opened my bathroom door and found Ranger sitting on my couch. I was naked. I watched his chocolate brown eyes turn dark. Within a blink of an eye, he had me pinned against the wall and his tongue in my mouth. A moan escaped my throat.

_What about Cal?_ Stupid Stephanie shouted. _Cal might already be dead._ Smart Stephanie said. Stupid Stephanie bitch slapped Smart Stephanie and I pushed Ranger away.

"No," I said.

"Babe," Ranger pleaded.

"I said no," I shouted. Maybe shouting it was over kill, but I needed him to listen to me for once. I walked over to my dresser and pulled out some clothes. Black tank top, black bra, black thong, black cargo pants, and black socks. _I am Mini-Ranger_, I thought to myself. I got dressed and threw on a pair of… Yep, black boots.

"What ever happened to the jeans and t-shirts?" I said. More to myself then Ranger.

"Ella put them in storage."

"Really?"

"Yep. One piece at a time," Ranger said with an almost smile.

"You paid her extra to do that, didn't you?"

"Yeah."

"Would it be to much for you to ask her that the next time she goes shopping for pants for me, that she gets me something other then low rider cut. Some times the tops of my thong stick out when I sit," I said as I ushered Ranger out of my apartment.

"I could try," Ranger said when we got in the elevator. "The thing is, Ella thinks that you make great advertising."

"Advertising?"

"Yeah. Pretty face. Great body. Peppy Attitude. Always everywhere. You, my dear, are a walking billboard."

I thought about this as we road the elevator up one floor. Ranger had tried his best to steer me to one of the conference rooms, but I still saw what he was trying hard to keep from me. Someone had put an American flag over Cal's computer. I had noticed this ritual a while back. The guys did this when one of their men was seriously wounded or dead. I froze in my tracks and stared at the flag, a tear rolling down my cheek.

"Come on, Babe," Ranger said as he tried to get me moving again.

I refused to budge. _Cal isn't dead! Why would someone do this? That flag doesn't belong there! _Stupid Stephanie shouted. I agreed with Stupid Stephanie. I walked over to the flag and carefully took it off. I walked over to Binkie that was a few cubicles away.

"You need to put this somewhere else," I said quietly as I handed the flag to Binkie. "If I see this again… You don't want to know what I will do."

Binkie took the flag and walked into the control room.

"Babe," Ranger said from behind me.

I turned around and looked at Ranger. A few more tears rolled down my cheeks and I wiped them away.

"Babe."

"Ranger," I shouted. "I am a woman on the edge. If anyone… _ANYONE_… goes near his desk with a flag, I will shoot out their knee caps without a second thought. Even you. If… _If_ he dies, _I_ will be the one that puts the flag on his computer. _I _will be the one that puts the flag on his apartment door. _I _will be the one to pack up his room. _Is that clear_?"

"Okay," Ranger said quietly.

With that said, Ranger walked me to one of the conference rooms where some of the guys had already sat down. I followed Ranger to the head of the table and took a seat to his left. Tank's seat was left empty. A few seats down to my left were Cal and Hal's. They were left empty as well.

"I hope that everyone heard Stephanie a moment ago," Ranger said once everyone was seated. Everyone nodded their heads affirmatively. Ranger turned to Junior. "What do we know?"


	7. Chapter 7

God… I am down on my knees begging for forgiveness. I am wringing my hands in the air. I am whipping myself on my back. I'm going to drowned myself after I write this chapter. You may understand after you see what I named my FTA. I'm crossing my fingers that lightening doesn't strike me when the next monsoon rolls through.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All of the characters belong to JE. Please… No one shoot me. I had an imagination block.

* * *

Junior looked nervously around the room. Poor kid never liked being the center of attention. I could see him start to sweat as he shuffled the papers around in front of him.

"Junior," Ranger said. "Whenever you're ready."

"Sorry, Ranger."

"It's okay. Tell me everything that you know."

He turned his attention to the lap top in front of him so that he didn't have to look at anyone. "This is everything that we know… This morning at seven a.m. Vinnie called Ranger and informed him that he had a high bond FTA. A… Giovanni Ribisi. Ribisi had been arrested for murder, attempted murder, grand theft auto, felony flight, B and E, criminal speeding, hit and run, and destruction of private property."

"All of that and they let him out on bail?" Binkie asked.

"Yep."

"What happened?" I asked.

Junior looked up at me and smiled. "You're gonna love this, Bomber. Ribisi found out that his wife was cheating on him. He followed her to her boyfriends house where he watched through the windows and saw them kissing their way up the stairs. Once they were out of view, he broke in through the back door. B and E. Then, he ran up the stairs and shot his wife and her boyfriend. The wife died at the hospital. The boyfriend may never walk again. Murder and attempted murder. He lost his mind at that point and stole the boyfriend Jag. Grand theft auto. While he was backing out of the garage, he hit the neighbors fence and hit a car that was coming down the street and took off. Destruction of private property and hit and run. Then he refused to pull over when the cops finally caught up with him speeding down the freeway. He was doing over a hundred in a sixty-five zone. Felony flight and criminal speeding. "

"Wow," I said. "That's… Wow!"

"Yeah," Junior said with a large smile.

"Holy Shit!" Binkie said. "I still can't believe that they let him out on bail. That judge must have been whacked out of his mind."

"Junior," Ranger warned.

"Right. Sorry. So, Ranger called Tank. Then, Tank handed it to Cal and Hal per Ranger's orders. Cal did a little research and then they decided to stake out Ribisi's place. The thing that none of us knew was that Ribisi is low end mob."

"Which family?" I asked.

"Harry the Hammer."

"No wonder he got bail. I'm going to kill Vinnie!"

"Hold on, Steph," Ranger said. He looked over at Junior. "I thought Harry kept his guys in line. What happened with Ribisi?"

"I've already talked to Harry. Harry said that he had seen Ribisi yesterday. He said that the guy was fine. He had seen a shrink and the shrink seems to think that they could get him off with an insanity defense. Harry doesn't understand what went through Ribisi's mind this morning. Harry said that we could count on him for anything. He doesn't want this guy running around on the streets. Harry is being nice."

"What went wrong this morning?" Ranger asked referring to Cal and Hal.

"Hal called in shots fired at ten forty-five a.m. Tank and Brett were in the area and responded immediately."

"Brett," Ranger said as he turned to the man sitting to my left, "What did you find?"

"The Bronco that Hal and Cal had been in looked like someone used it for target practice. Cal had been in the passenger seat. Closest to the house," Brett said as he tried to recall everything that he had seen. "Hal had gotten himself out of the truck. He had both of his guns drawn and all of his bullet were spent. Including two empty cartridges on the ground next to him. We found him laying on the ground in the street. Cal was unconscious. He was still in his seat, but he did have one of his guns out and the cartridge was empty. We got Cal pulled out while we were waiting for the paramedics."

"Did Hal say anything to you about what happened?" I asked.

"Yeah," Binkie said as he swiveled in his chair to fully face me. "He said that it happened so fast that they didn't have enough time to react properly. They had seen movement earlier in the day. That was when you had spoken with Cal. Then there was nothing for a while. Then, without any warning, Ribisi came out of the house like Rambo. AK-47s in both arms. Firing at them like there really was no tomorrow. Hal said that the guy looked crazed. He said that he knew that he had hit the guy in the shoulder and that he got a few rounds into the car that he took off in. That's when Hal passed out."

"Did Hal say anything to you at the hospital?" Ranger asked me.

"No. He was already doped up. He just kept asking about Cal," I said as I laid my head down on the table in front of me and put my arms over my head.

"Have we found the get away car?" Ranger asked.

"Yeah," Brett said. "It was found about four blocks from the scene in a grocery store parking lot. Morelli tipped us off that just after the shooting a woman in a 4-Runner reported that she had been car jacked in that parking lot. There's an APB out on the 4-runner."

"Any sightings on Ribisi?"

"None," Junior said. "We've contacted all of the hospitals and clinics in the area. It's only a mater of time before he tries to get medical attention if Hal did get him in the shoulder."

"If Hal says that he got him, then he did," I said with my head still on the desk. "Hal wouldn't have said it if he wasn't sure."

"Okay," Ranger said as he took command. "We've got two guys in the hospital because of this guy. Let's find him. Brett, do computer searches. See if he's using any of his credit cards and what for. Lester, take some of the guys and get out on the street. Sniff around some of the mob hang outs. Junior, go see Harry in person. Everyone call me as soon as you get anything. Steph and I will be at the hospital."

With that said, everyone got up quickly and left the room. I felt Rangers hand slip into mine. He pulled my chair over next to him and put an arm around my shoulder.

"We'll get him, Babe," Ranger whispered in my ear.

"I don't doubt that you will," I said as I sat up. "You getting him doesn't guaranty that Cal will be okay, does it?"

"No," Ranger said quietly.


	8. Chapter 8

Okay... This chapter was a little more difficult to come up with. I hope that everyone enjoys it. Let my know if I went down the wrong path.

Disclaimer: The story is mine. The characters belong to JE.

* * *

Scene Change St. Frances Hospital Approx. 3P.M. Saturday

Cal's POV

Okay. So, I've been awake now for a few minutes. I've come to the conclusion that I'm in a hospital. I can't move and I can't open my eyes yet. There is a hideous beeping in my right ear and a tube down my throat. Yep. I'm in a hospital. This isn't last thing that I can remember is talking with Hal. Hal! God, I hope he's in better shape then I am.

Hold the phone! Is someone holding my hand? It feels like someone is massaging my hand. Yep! There's someone there alright. It's gotta be Stephanie. My Angel. She's the only one that would be here right now. She's the only one that I want here right now. Maybe I can get her attention. Maybe, if I squeeze her hand a little, she'll be able to see that I'm awake and get this damn tube out of my mouth. With the tube out of my mouth, I can finally kiss her. That's a good plan. Okay. Here we go. Hand... Squeeze Stephanie's hand!

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! CAL! YOU GOTTA LET GO!"

Why is Steph screaming? What's going on, Angel? Who's hurting you?

"TANK! HELP!"

Oh God! This room is too bright. I think I need to rest my eyes a little longer.

"STEPH?"

Tank! Buddy!

"He's awake! But, I think he's breaking my hand! He won't let go!"

What in the hell is Steph talking about? Who's breaking my Angel's hand? I'll kill them!

"Here! Let my try to get you loose."

Why are you pulling away Steph?

"Thank God! Grab a towel out of the bathroom. Damn It! There's blood everywhere!"

Who's bleeding? That's it! I'm gonna try to open my eyes again. There she is! Stephanie.

"Hey, Handsome," Stephanie said as she looked down at me. "Welcome back. Tank's gonna go find the doctor so that they can take that tube out. Just hang on."

"Here Steph. Welcome back, Tough Guy," Tank said with a big smile.

"Mmmmrph," That didn't come out right.

"I definitely think that it's broken," Steph said looking down at something that I couldn't see. She looked up at Tank. "Tank. Doctor."

"Sorry, Steph," Tank said and walked away out of my sight.

"You scared the crap out me," Steph said looking down at me with a smile. Tears were still rolling down her cheeks.

Why is she crying? I can't bare to see my Angel crying.

"Hey Steph. The big guy finally woke up?"

Who's this guy? Hold on. Scrubs. White coat. Doctor. My brain is starting to work again. This is good.

"Cal? My name is Doctor Hulbert. I'm going to take this tube out of your throat," The man said as he walked up to me. "It might hurt and you won't be able to talk for a little bit. Steph will help you drink some water and you should get your voice back soon."

Then I'll finally be able to tell her that I love her. Hurry up, my good doctor!

"Steph, what did you do to your hand?" the doctor said as he turned to look at Steph.

"Cal got a little excited when he started to wake up. I'll get it checked out after we get him situated," Steph said as she held up her hand and examined it. Her hand had a towel wrapped around it. "I think that it looks worse then it really is."

"Mmmmmmrph." Again. Not what I was aiming for. Angel. Why is there a towel wrapped around your hand?

"Okay," The doctor said looking down at me. "I think that you're ready to get that tube out. On a count of three, I want you to take a deep breath in and blow it out. One... Two... Three... Blow out Cal."

Jesus! Did he pull my throat out with the tube?

"Let's get him up a little bit," Steph said as she raised the head of my bed. "Here's some water, Sweetie. Drink slowly."

My lord! That's some cold water. It feels wonderful. My throat feels like sand paper.

"Steph," Tank said walking back in the room. "I'll sit with Cal. You really need to get your hand looked at."

"Steph," I whispered.

"Save your voice, Big Guy," Steph said as she pushed my hair off of my forehead and smiled at me. Then she lifted up her hand. The towel had some blood seeping through. "You're too strong for your own good. I think that you broke a few bones in my hand when you were trying to get my attention. I'm going to get someone to take a look at it. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Call Ranger," Tank said from at chair at the end of my bed. "Let him know that Cal's awake and that he broke your hand. He'll get a kick out of that."

"I'm sure that he will," Staph said with a laugh. I love that laugh. Then she turned back to me. "I'll be back soon. Just rest for a bit."

Then she did it. She leaned forward and kissed me. It was light and soft. I reached up and touched her soft curls. She slowly pulled back and smiled at me. I want more. Damn It!

"Take good care of him, Tank," Steph said and then left the room.

"She's been a basket case for the last twenty-eight hours, Cal," Tank said with a huge grin. "She's in love. She didn't freak out this much when Ranger got shot in her apartment. She actually fainted in Pino's when they told her that you had been shot. She yeld at Ranger. Ranger! Can you believe it?"

She's in love with me? Me? Thank God!

"Cal," Tank said bringing me back.

I think that the painkillers are still affecting me.

Tank smiled a little and shook his head. "Wipe that stupid grin off your face. You're still going to have to convince her that you won't break her heart like Morelli and Ranger did."

"Her heart wasn't broken," I whispered after I took a big drink of water. Still some sand paper in there. "She walked away."

"Yeah," Tank agreed. "But, there was still damage done. She loved two men with everything that she had and both relationships were failures. That still had to hurt her even if she didn't let any of us see it."

"I saw it," I whispered as I looked into my empty cup. "Can I have more water?"

"Sure," Tank said as he stood. "There's a really hot nurse at the nurse's station."

"I'll tell Lula," I whispered with a menacing grin.

"No, you won't," Tank said with an equally menacing grin. "She'll shoot you for being the messanger."

On that deflating note, Tank walked out the door and Junior walked in. Junior walked over to the now vacant chair and propped his feet up on the end of my bed. He sat there and took in the sight of me.

"You look like hell," Junior said as an easy smile spread across his lips. "Taking a few bullets doesn't agree with you."

"Hal?" I asked with a whisper.

"Driving the nurses crazy up stairs. He'll be fine. Took one in the shoulder and one in the leg. Both through and through. A little physical therapy and he'll be good as new."

"What happened?"

"Ribisi used your Bronco as target practice. Don't you remember?"

"No," I whispered as I looked back down at my empty cup.

As if on cue, Tank walked back in the room with four large cups. He handed one to Junior, one to me, kept one for himself, and put the last one on a table next to my bed.

"I brought you a back up," Tank said with a smile. "You can drink as much as you want and not have to worry since they put that tube up your penis."

Yikes!

"Damn, Tank. Tact," Junior said with a laugh. "It's bad enough that the man can't remember taking two to the chest. You don't have to piont out the down side to being in the hospital. You're supose to piont out the upsides. Like having Bomber at his side until he gets out."

"Shit! You don't remember what happened?" Tank asked me.

"Not a thing," I whispered after I took another drink.

Both of the guys broke out in a roar of laughter. I love these guys.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm still not that sure how the last chapter went. I really appreciate everyone taking time to send in a review. I'm also very flattered that my story has picked up a few followers. This is going a lot better then I thought it would. I wasn't sure how people would feel if Steph was with someone other then Ranger or Joe. I felt a lot better after I FINALLY got through _Soldier_ by Kendall. At least I'm not the only one who thinks highly of Ranger's Merry Men.

Okay. I'm done blabbing.

Disclaimer: Nothings mine. Yada, yada, yada. Story is mine. Yada, yada, yada. JE owns the characters.

* * *

_St. Frances Hospital._

_11 P.M., Saturday night_

**POV Stephanie**

I've been sitting in a chair next to Cal's bed staring at a white wall. Again. I think that the world needs more white walls. Then again, that might just be the pain killers talking. I ended up having minor surgery after Cal broke two bones in my left hand. Thank God I'm right handed, right? What on Earth had the man been thinking? He broke my hand!

Luckily, I was able to convince the doctor that they only needed to use a local anesthetic and I watched the whole procedure. I now have two small metal pins in the bones that lead to my pinky and ring finger. They told me some fancy name for the bones, but the drugs that I'm on have wiped them out of my brain.

There's now a cast on my arm that starts at my second knuckles and goes half way up my forearm. It's white and I've been waving off the Merry Men. I want Cal to be the first one to sign it. It's become customary that the person to cause the cast has to be the first one to sign the cast. I started it. I've been the first a lot of times. Tank said that it shouldn't count this time because Cal fell asleep waiting for me to get back. Tank has no patience when it comes to cast signing.

I wonder if I'll set off metal detectors?

"Where are you, Angel?" a husky voice whispered.

I turned and looked at Cal. The man is always handsome. His soft brown hair, with its warm red natural highlights, is extremely disheveled. His eye lids are hanging low over his hazel eyes giving him a natural 'I want you' look. The small smile that played at the corners of his full lips making him look mischievous. The smile grew wide without warning.

"Angel," Cal whispered. "You just licked your lips and you're looking at me like I'm a piece of cake. I'm not well enough for those types of looks."

"Sorry," I said as I felt myself blush. I had been caught looking at him like he's cake. "They gave me really good pain killers."

"I'm sorry about your hand."

"You didn't do it on purpose," I said as I stood up and walked over to his bed.

I watched as Cal grimaced in pain when he scooted over on his bed to make room for me to sit. He's such a tough guy. I sat down on the bed next to him and pushed the hair out of his face. Maybe I can get one of the nurses to help me wash it in the morning.

"How much damage did I cause?" Cal asked eyeing the cast.

"Two broken bones that had to be put back together by pins. I got to watch the whole thing," I said as I pulled a black Sharpie out of the side pocket of my cargo pants. I held out my arm and handed Cal the marker. "I saved you the honor."

"I've never been the first to sign," Cal said with a sheepish smile. "That's usually your job."

"Hey," I said pulling my arm back. "Don't press your luck. Tank's been eyeing my cast all night."

"I did the damage," Cal teased. "It's my duty to be the first to sign."

"I've created a monster," I said overdramatically. It was nice to be able to joke with him again. The tension was starting to subside in the back of my neck.

"You need to give me a moment to think about what I'm gonna say. After all, you're gonna be lugging this thing around for the next six to eight weeks," Cal said as he leaned back and stared at the ceiling.

Interesting. We have the same thinking position.

"It's the color, isn't it?" I asked after a moment of total silence.

Cal looked over at me with a puzzled look on his face. Even when he's puzzled, he's still drop dead gorgeous. I'm in big trouble with this one.

"White has a calming effect. If you look at something white long enough, you suddenly have an epiphany. Am I right?" I asked.

"I've never really thought about it," Cal said as he looked back up at the ceiling. "I guess you're right."

"The same thing happens when I sit here and stare at the walls."

"Really?" Cal asked as he looked back over at me.

"It's really quite amazing."

"How so?"

"I've done my best thinking staring at hospital walls." I sighed as I shook my head. "I spend a lot of time at this hospital."

"Yeah. We're lucky that you haven't killed any of us yet," Cal said with a laugh and them grimaced in pain. "Remind my not to laugh."

"Serves you right. I'd never kill one of the Merry Men."

"Merry Men?"

"Merry Men."

"Oh, Jesus, Steph. Ranger isn't Robin Hood."

"Hello," I said as I pointed to the door. "Little John is sitting right outside."

"Angel, Ranger doesn't rob from the rich and give to the poor," Cal said.

"You're right. He doesn't. He does, however, protect the innocent."

"How?"

"He gets the bad guys off the streets," I said matter of factly. "Both of us being on pain killers has gotten us way off track. We were talking about white walls and ceilings."

"They do have a calming effect," Cal said as he looked back up at the ceiling.

"White walls helped me make two of the toughest decisions of my life," I said as I looked back at the wall that I had been staring at while Cal slept.

"What would those have been?" Cal asked while he was staring at the ceiling.

"Ending my romantic relationships with Joe and Ranger."

"You came to those decisions while you were staring at walls?" Cal said looking over at me astonished.

"Yep," I said as I shook my head, not looking away from the wall.

"I gotta remember to keep you out of hospitals when we get serious."

I looked over at Cal. He was laying there smiling at me.

_Is he serious?_ Smart Stephanie asked.

_Duh!_ Stupid Stephanie replied.

_Uh oh, ladies._ I said to Smart and Stupid Stephanie. _He has the look in his eyes._

Smart Stephanie screamed and then said, _We aren't ready for that look._

Then Stupid Stephanie said, _Just because he says the 'L' word, it doesn't mean that we have to. We learned that from Joe._

I couldn't help but put my two cents in. _What if I want to say the 'L' word?_

Stupid and Smart Stephanie both shouted _NOT YET!_ at the same time.

"Who's winning the war?" Cal asked.

"How do you always know when there's a war going on inside my head?" I asked eyeing him.

"It's your eyes. They bug out sometimes. I think it's when Stupid Stephanie says something," Cal said with a small smile. "Should I still be rooting for her?"

"I think that they are starting to join forces."

Cal picked up my right hand and kissed it. "I think that I'm ready to sign your cast."


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. I own the story.

* * *

_RangeMan._

_Sunday, Appprox. 4 A.M._

"What are you doing here, Bomber?" Lester said from his seat in the control room.

"Cal kicked me out of the hospital. Said I needed a shower and some sleep," I said as I walked over and sat in the chair next to him. "I took the shower. I'm skipping the sleep. What do you have on Ribisi?"

"Not a whole lot," Lester said as he turned to the key board in front of him. He hit a couple of keys and the file on Ribisi came up on the largest of the screens on the wall in front of us. "It's like he's disappeared. We've got a couple of guys staking out his house and his usual hang outs, but we've got nothing. No activity on bank accounts or credit cards either."

"I'm going to run him through my research data bases. Maybe Binkie missed something," I said as I stood up. "I'm gonna make some coffee, too. Do you want me to bring you some?"

"That'd be great. Junior should be here soon with breakfast."

"What's on the menu this morning?"

"Donuts."

_Yum!_

I went into the break room and made the coffee. I fixed our cups and dropped Lester's off to him before I made my way over to my cubicle. Something that Lester had said was bothering me. It takes money to hide. If he wasn't using any credit cards, then how was he paying his way? I started searching and found six credit cards under Giovanni Ribisi. There had been no purchases on any of the cards in the last week. Same on the banking account that I found. No big withdrawals in the last six months either. There was just the normal transactions. Mortgage, car loans, credit card payments, and utilities. Deposits every two weeks in the same increments. $5000.00. I guess the mob pays decent.

I got up from my chair and started walking around the office. Something just wasn't right and I couldn't put my finger on it. I stopped in the area in front of the elevator and laid down on the floor. I needed a white ceiling.

"What are you doing?" Lester yelled from the control room.

"I'm thinking," I yelled back.

Where is he getting his cash flow? Junior said that he had visited Harry. Harry told him that he would not help Ribisi. Ribisi was on his own. I finally put a little stock in Harry after he had called Ranger. Ranger doesn't trust a lot of people, but he felt a little confident that Harry really was trying to help us after that conversation. Trust. Hmmmm. Trust. If you're married, you would trust your wife. At least in most marriages. THE WIFE!

I jumped up off the floor and ran to the control room.

"Lester, what was Ribisi's wife's name?" I asked as I ran through the door.

"Let me check," Lester said as he started hitting buttons on the computer. "Jessica Marie Ribisi."

"Thanks, Buddy," I said as I ran from the room and back to my computer.

I typed the wife's name into one of my search engines and hit enter. Within seconds, I had a list of three credit cards, two bank accounts, and an address to a house on the outskirts of Trenton. Jack Pot! All three credit card companies had issued cards to Ribisi. Ribisi wasn't the primary on the accounts. That's how we missed it. All three cards had been used in the last week. Two were already maxed out. The two bank accounts had also issued cards to Ribisi. Both accounts had over two million dollars in each account. No recent withdrawals.

I searched the credit cards and found out that they were being used at locations near the house that was under the wife's name. Time to take a trip. I sat there staring at the screen. If I just found Ribisi, then I should really call Ranger. The thing is, I wanted to get Ribisi. I know that he's dangerous, but he could have killed Cal. And Hal.

I swiveled my chair around and stared at the back of Lester's head. He'd be watching. I need a clean vehicle. A couple of months ago I had watched Ranger disable the GPS on the motor cycle in the garage. That could work, but I need a distraction. A big one. Preferable Six feet six inches tall and Hispanic. I need Junior. Bad.

I turned my chair a little further to the right and looked at the elevator. Junior should come bearing donuts soon. As if he could hear me thinking about him, Junior called my cell phone.

"I need you," I said when I answered my phone.

"That's a new one, Bomber," Junior said with a laugh.

"I need a distraction and you're going to help me."

"Oh really?"

"Yep."

"In exchange for…"

"Deep tissue massages for the next month. I just finished my course at the college a week ago. I'm certified."

"Three times a week and you've got a deal."

"Deal," I said. "Where are you?"

"I'm at the Dunkin Donuts. You want anything?"

"Two Boston Crèmes."

"I'll be there in ten," Junior said and then hung up.

I put my phone back in my pocket and turned back to my computer. I mapped out a route from RangeMan to Ribisi's hide out and printed out reports of what I had found. I put the reports in a folder and wrote a little note on top for Ranger. If Junior got here soon, I'd have about an hour and a half before Ranger would see the report and go after Ribisi. By then I could already have him booked at the station.

* * *

"I'm sorry, you wanna what?"

"I have to do this, Junior," I whispered.

"You can't be serious?" Junior whispered back.

Junior was sitting on my desk and he looked like he was ready to have a heart attack. He looked a little pale because I had just finished explaining the reason for him distracting Lester. I don't think that he wants to help me.

"I need to do this, Junior."

"Steph, I can't sit by and not help you."

"All you have to do is give me enough time to disable the GPS and get the motor cycle out of the garage. I just need five minutes," I pleaded. I think that I might need to show him what I had learned in my classes. I grabbed his forearm and started working my magic. Within seconds, Junior was putty in my hands. I slowly stood up and leaned into him. I whispered into his ear, "Think of what I can do to your quads."

"I'll give you one hour. If I don't hear from you… I'm going to Ranger. Even if it means that I lose my job," Junior whispered with a serious look on his face.

"Give this to Ranger when you do," I said as I handed him the folder that was sitting on my desk. "It has everything that I found in there. I'm heading to the house that Ribisi put under his wife's name."

"Are you sure about this?"

"Yes."


	11. Chapter 11

Here we go again!

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. I just like to play with them.

* * *

Junior adviced me at the lat minute to tell Lester that I was heading to my room to try to get some rest. I headed down to my room. Once inside, I grabbed both of my guns, two extra clips, my lock picking kit, a stun gun, and a pair of cuffs. Yes. I own two guns and I actually know how to use them. They are two very beautiful Heckler & Koch P2000s. I spent a month in the shooting gallery with Lester familiarizing myself with the guns and firing them. I threw my drivers license and some cash in my pocket and flew back out the door. I took the stairs two at a time all the way down.

I came to an abrupt stop in front of the motor cycle. I looked at the motor cycle and then down at my cast. I read Cal's message for the hundredth time. _Listen to the voices._ I waited for Stupid and Smart Stephanie to say something. Nothing. I looked at the bike again. This may be tricky. After I climbed on the motor cycle, I turned off the GPS. Luckily the bike is an automatic, so I can do this, I said to myself. I fired up the bike and pulled out of the garage.

Driving down the road towards the outskirts of Trenton, I realized that I have no clue what I was doing. Ranger always has a plan. Always. I'm going into this blind. No blue prints of the house. No back up. Just Stupid and Smart Stephanie to help me make the right decisions. If they decide to help me. They are being awfully quiet right now.

I drove out of Trenton and into an upscale housing community. It was just before five a.m. and everyone was still peacefully sleeping in their beds, unaware of the insane mobster living down the street. Insane may be a little too much, but that was the only way that Hal could describe him. I slowed down as I passed Ribisi's house. All of the lights were off so I pulled around the corner and parked the bike in between some large bushes.

I walked back around the corner as I turned my cell phone off. I had forgotten to do that once and the FTA that I was after heard my phone ring right before I had gotten to him. That turned out to be a very bad day. I slowly walked past Ribisi's house. All of the lights were still off. I walked to the end of the block and then turned the corner. All of the yards were unfenced, so I walked through his neighbors back yard to the rear of Ribisi's house.

All of the shades and curtains were pulled back so I had a clear view of the interior of the house. Country French. The wife must have decorated the house. I walked down the side of the house towards the front and stopped at a window. I looked in. The window was to the formal living room and it had a clear view of the front door. I could see the panel for the alarm system. Off. Some people are so stupid.

_This is your lucky day!_ Stupid Stephanie said.

_Go in through the back door,_ Smart Stephanie chimed in.

I had the Stephanie's back. This is good. I crept to the back of the house and found the back door. After inspecting the lock, I took out my lock picking kit and got to work. I had spent a month worth of nights with Tank learning how to pick locks. This knowledge was finally going to pay off.

I was inside in twenty seconds. The whole house was silent. I stood there for a minute, listening and getting my bearings. I slowly reached behind me and pulled out one of my H&K's. Slowly, I moved out of the kitchen and did a thorough search of the first floor. Nothing.

My heart started pounding when I heard the alarm clock go off upstairs. That was followed by a lot of swearing. I stood very still in the formal living room as I heard Ribisi get out of bed and head into the bathroom. I actually had to stand there and listen to him relieve himself. _EW!_ Evidentially, Ribisi didn't see any reason to close the bathroom door.

There were three ways the get to the kitchen from the bottom of the stairs. Route one took you to the right, through the formal living room, into the dining room, and then into the kitchen. Route two would take you to the left, through the office, into the family room, and then into the kitchen. Route three was a straight shot down the hallway that ran parallel to the stairs. Ribisi is a man. I know that he'll take route three. I slowly backed up and into the dining room.

I was right. I assessed the man that stood in the kitchen. He was a trim man. He stood at five feet, six inches tall. He weighed maybe one hundred and fifty pounds. Short, dark brown hair that was mussed from a good nights sleep. He was only wearing a pair of blue boxers and black slippers. He had a toned body. Muscular, but not overly like the guys. I'd guess that he probably spend an hour in the gym twice a week. Just long enough to keep the fat away.

I had silently inched up behind Ribisi as I did my assessment. All the while listening for other movement in the house. I put the barrel of my gun an inch from the back of his head and pulled back the hammer.

The click echoed through the kitchen.

"Ever so slowly, lift your hands and place them on the cabinets in front of your head," I whispered as I positioned myself behind Ribisi.

"Do you know who I am?" Ribisi quietly asked as he followed my instructions.

"Of course I do," I whispered. "You almost killed the man that I love and his best friend. You're Giovanni Ribisi."

Ribisi stood there silently contemplating my statement.

"You work for Ranger," he whispered.

"Ranger is my mentor. How do you think I got in your house without you even noticing?"

I lifted my gun up and hit Ribisi on the back of his neck, effectively knocking him out. He fell to the floor and I cuffed his hands behind his back. I hit him with my stun gun just to be on the safe side. Silently, I searched the second floor to make sure that the rest of the house was empty.

Satisfied, I walked back down to the kitchen. Ribisi was right where I left him. Poor man doesn't know what he's done. I walked over and rolled him on his stomach, then I sat down on him. I wiggled my butt a little before I settled back against the cabinets behind me. After pulling out my cell phone, I turned it back on to check the time. 5:15 a.m.

Change in plans. I dialed a number and listened for someone to pick up.

"I have a present for you," I said with a smile when the other end was picked up.

I sat there in silence after I completed my phone call. I looked down at my cast and read Cal's message again. The vioces had been right this morning. Both of them had joined forces and had come through for me. I looked up at the wall infront of me. White. Hmmmmm.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I own nothing. JE owns the characters.

* * *

"Ms. Stephanie Plum. It's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"Please. Just call me Steph," I said as I shook the hand of the older gentleman that stood in front of me in Ribisi's kitchen.

"Then you can call me Harry."

Harry looks a lot like Gene Hackman. Six feet tall. Two hundred and fifty pounds. BIG nose. A little round in the middle. No hair on top, but plenty of grey hair on the sides and in the back. Clear baby blue eyes with big bags under them. I'd place him in his early sixties. There's one scar on is right cheek that I was told was from a fight with his twin brother. Harry was the only one to walk away from that fight. That's how Harry came to be the leader of 'The Family' and how he got his nick name.

"I'm glad that you called me, Steph. I'm just confused as to why you did," Harry said as he looked down at Ribisi.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I need to make a quick phone call," I said as I moved into the dining room and punched a number into my phone. "I need to call Junior before every employee from RangeMan shows up here before you can get him out of here."

"Take your time."

I watched as two of Harry's goons removed Ribisi from the house while I waited for Junior to answer his phone.

"Steph?"

"He's not here," I said into my phone as I stared at Harry.

"Really?"

"Yep. I went in through the back and searched the house. There's no one here. He's got some clothes here though, so maybe we should stick a couple of guys on the house."

"It's worth a shot. I'll talk to Ranger about it when he comes down."

"Ten-four," I said and hung up.

"Did you just lie to someone?" Harry asked as a sly smile appeared on his thin lips.

"Yes. It occurred to me that you may have been helpful to us because you wanted Ribisi."

"You would be correct."

"How much money did he steal?" I asked as I walked out the back door with Harry.

"A lot."

"I want you to understand something, Harry," I said as I turned to the back door and used my tools to lock the door. "I want him to suffer."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me Harry," I said when I turned back to Harry to give him my full attention. "If I would have called Ranger, I'm not sure that what he would have done would have satisfied me."

"And you think that I will?"

"I think that the money that you are looking for is sitting in two separate bank accounts under Ribisi's wife's name. I think that after you get your money back, you'll make Ribisi… disappear. Forever."

"Steph," Harry said as he draped an arm around my shoulders and gave me a warm smile. "You have a 'Family' mentality. I like that about you. If you ever need anything… I mean anything… Don't hesitate to call me."

"Thanks, Harry," I said as I walked him to his car. "What I'd really like is for you to send me a dozen white roses when the deed is done and I don't have to worry about Ribisi anymore."

"I can do that. Should I just send them to RangeMan?"

"That would be great."

"It truly was a pleasure meeting you, My Dear," Harry said as he shook my hand and gave me a small kiss on the cheek.

"I believe that in a matter of hours… the pleasure will definitely be all mine. Just make sure that the job is done completely. I don't need him coming after me."

"That's right. I recall hearing that you have a way of attracting the crazies."

"Like moths to a flame, Harry," I said with a huge grin.

Harry laughed as he got into his black Lincoln Continental. After I watched the car drive away, I turned around and started walking back to the bike. My cell phone rang as I climbed on the bike. Ranger.

"Yo," I said as I answered the phone.

"You can turn the GPS back on now."

"I might consider it. How's Junior?"

"If I were you, I'd be more worried about myself."

"You can't seriously be mad at me?" I asked. "Hold that thought for a second. I'm gonna go hands free."

I took a smalll cord out from the compartment under the seat and plugged one end into my cell phone and the other into the helmet. I clipped my phone to my pants and put the helmet on as I fired up the bike.

"Okay. You were about to tell me how pissed off you are," I said as I started to drive out of Ribisi's neighborhood.

"I'm pissed off that you handed my guy over to Harry."

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"Babe, you called him on your cell."

"Harry wanted Ribisi more than we did."

"What about the bond money? Vinnie's gonna be pissed."

"Vinnie will be able to get his money back when Ribisi's body is discovered in the Hudson," I said as I started driving aimlessly through Trenton.

"You need to come back to the office. We need to redefine you position in this company."

"You aren't going to ground me to a desk are you?" I asked.

"No. I'm assigning you a partner."


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: JE owns the characters. I own the story.

* * *

_St. Frances Hospital._

_Noon, Sunday._

"There's my hero," Cal said with a big smile as I entered his room.

"Word travels fast," I said with a smile. "Did you hear that Ranger made Binkie my new partner?"

"Try not to kill him," Tank said with a smirk from the chair next to Cal's bed.

They had finally moved Cal out of ICU and up to the fourth floor. He was looking a lot better. The color had finally come back into his face and he was more alert. He looked devilishly handsome. He was wearing a button down Hawaiian print shirt that he left unbuttoned, revealing his bandages across his chest. He was also wearing matching Hawaiian print shorts. That's good. They're letting him out of bed to use the bathroom. The cast on his right leg was white and blank.

"No one's signed your cast yet?" I asked.

"No," Tank said angrily. "He won't let anyone sign it until you do."

"Me?" I asked looking back at Cal. "I didn't cause the damage to your leg."

"You didn't. But, seeing as I doubt that Ribisi is going to sign it, I thought that you should have the honors.," Cal said with a grin as he held out a red sharpie.

I sat the box that I was carrying down on a chair and walked over to Cal's bed. I took the marker and stared at his cast. I leaned down with a smile on my lips and wrote on his cast at an angle that allowed him to read. Once I was done, I leaned back to admired my handy work.

_I'll never ignore them again. _A little heart that I colored in. _Angel._

"Is that the box that arrived with your flowers?" Tank asked, bringing my attention back to the eighteen inch square box that I had put in the chair.

"The very same," I said with a big smile as I picked the box up and put it on Cal's lap. "You have to see what Harry gave me as a 'thank you' present. I just have to warn you… it's a little frightening. But, I thought that it might cheer you up."

"This is your present, Angel," Cal said eyeing the box right along with Tank.

"You have to see this," I said as I took a couple of steps back from his bed.

"Ranger said that you were guarding this box with your life. Why are you letting Cal see what's in it?" Tank asked.

"I didn't want Ranger to take it away before Cal got to see it. I'm gonna show you guys and Hal and then I'll call Ranger to come and get it."

"I get to see, too?" Tank asked with a big smile.

"Of course," I said with an even bigger smile. "Stand right next to Cal while he opens it. I promise. This is not something that you're gonna want to miss."

"You're up to something, Angel," Cal said as he sized me up.

"Just open the damn box," I said as I rocked back on my heels and stuffed my hands in the back pockets of my pants. "You're gonna love it."

Tank moved to the side of Cal's bed and helped Cal open the box. They both stood there, mouths hanging open, as they stared at the contents of the box. Tank reached in and pulled a large zip lock bag out of the box and sat it on the table that was next to Cal's bed.

"Is that what I think it is?" Cal asked in awe.

"Yep," I said with a laugh.

"Are you sure?" Tank asked as he leaned down to get a better look.

"I'm positive," I said. "That's Giovanni Ribisi's head."

"This is disturbing, Angel," Cal said as he looked at the head.

"No, Cal. That's proof," I said. "You missed the best part of the present. Look in the bottom of the box."

Tank finished repositioned the head so that it was looking right at Cal and then peered back into the box. Cal looked at Tank and then turned his gaze back into the box.

"There's over a hundred grand in there," I said.

Tank and Cal both turned and looked at me. In unison they shouted, "ONE HUNDRED GRAND?"

"Yep," I said with a huge grin. "Read the note inside."

Cal pulled out the note that was sitting on top of the money and held it out so that they could both read it at the same time.

_Steph,_

_Thank you, once again, for helping me. There was a little extra in the bank. I thought that you should have it. Call me if you ever need anything._

_H_

"Oh my God," Cal whispered. "He gave you all of this money?"

"I guess I made a good impression," I said as I walked over to the side of Cal's bed and looked into the box at the money.

"Can I go scare Hal with the head?" Tank asked.

"Sure. Then you can take it to Ranger," I said to Tank.

I watched as Tank slid the zip lock bag under his shirt. He gave me a sideways hug and a kiss on the top of my head before he turned and made his way to the door. Just before he opened the door, he stopped and turned around.

"Hey, Steph. What are you gonna do with all of that money?" Tank asked as he pointed at the box.

"I'm moving out of RangeMan first thing tomorrow morning," I said. "I don't know what I'll do with the rest."

"I can think of a few good ideas," Cal said quietly.

"What do you have in mind, Cowboy?" I asked as I turned back to look at Cal.

He put the box on the table next to his bed and then pulled me into his arms. He looked over my shoulder and nodded at Tank. I heard the door open and close as I looked into Cal's eyes and smiled at him.

"Our casts will be off in six weeks. We could take a trip," Cal said as he lightly turned my head so that he could nibble on my neck. "We can take the next six weeks to… get to know each other and then get away when we're all healed up."

"That sounds like a nice idea. Do you have any others?" I asked as my lips trailed kisses over his forehead.

Cal pulled my lips down to his and softly kissed me. I parted my lips and welcomed his tongue in my mouth. _Look, Stupid Stephanie!_ Smart Stephanie whispered. _Fireworks!_ They were right. It was like a thousand fireworks explored in my head. Cal deepened the kiss and I was lost to him. This is what I've been waiting for.

I broke the kiss and pulled back to look at Cal. Cal? _YES!_ Stupid and Smart Stephanie shouted at the same time. They were right. It's always been Cal. I climbed up on the bed and straddled him. I wiggled my butt and got comfortable. Cal's whole face lit up as he laughed.

"I'm not well enough for that kind of action, Angel," Cal said as he put his arms around my waist.

"I know that. I like your idea about the trip," I said as I looked into his eyes. They were crinkled in the corners because of the smile on his face. I'm definitely lost.

"Where do you want to go?" Cal asked as he reached up and started playing with one of my loose curls.

"I've always wanted to go to Europe," I said with a shrug.

"Then Europe it is."

"I have a condition for the trip," I said as I took his hands in mine.

"I knew it," Cal said with a laugh. "What do you want, Angel. I'll give you anything."

I sat there silently looking at Cal. The man of my dreams. The man in my dreams. The man in my heart. _What if he says 'no'?_ I asked the Stephanie's. _He won't._ Smart Stephanie said. I took a deep breath and blew it out.

"You have to marry me right before we leave," I whispered.

"Deal," Cal said without a moments hesitation and then pulled me forward and kissed me.

Fireworks…

The End.


End file.
